Film

Meryl Streep's comments on diversity have raised ire at the Berlin International Film Festival. The actress and jury president's remarks immediately sparked outrage on social media.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Meryl Streep

The actress declared "You know we're all Berliners, we are all Africans, really" when asked about racial diversity in her all white seven-member jury. Based on the reactions online, it didn't go over as well as Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner," which she may have been referring to. If it's a consolation: She's not the only star who's faced embarrassment during a film festival press conference.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Lars von Trier

Asked about his German heritage at a Cannes press conference in 2011, Danish director Lars von Trier started making Nazi jokes and said he could understand Hitler. In the end, he was declared persona non grata at the glamorous French film Festival - and he decided to stop talking to the press altogether.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

The Coen brothers

In 2013, Joel and Ethan Coen avoided a similar fate in Cannes when asked to define "Jewish humor" by a German reporter referring to Nazism."There's nothing like a Holocaust to put the stake in a certain kind of humor. I really don't know how to answer that," said Joel. This year, a more endearing questioner bemused them by saying she wanted to make love to their film "Hail, Caesar!."

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Benedict Cumberbatch

Fans often grab the opportunity to make public love declarations during such press conferences. At the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, one fan asked: "Benedict, I actually think you're quite yummy. Would I be able to feast on your yumminess?" The British actor, there to promote his role as the gay codebreaker Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," was quite flustered by the question.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Woody Allen

International reporters also typically try to find out when stars will show up in their home country. For example, US director Woody Allen was asked: "Oh our darling darling Woody, when are you coming to Azerbaijan?" at a press conference in Cannes. The former stand-up comedian shot back "Isn't that Russia? I hate Russia."

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

George Clooney

Some stars know how to flip an awkward moment with their charm. Someone rambled a question for George Clooney at a press conference on Thursday - he had apparently spilled turkey meatballs on his shoes. The actor asked back: "Are you flirting with me?"

Author: Elizabeth Grenier

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Meryl Streep

The actress declared "You know we're all Berliners, we are all Africans, really" when asked about racial diversity in her all white seven-member jury. Based on the reactions online, it didn't go over as well as Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner," which she may have been referring to. If it's a consolation: She's not the only star who's faced embarrassment during a film festival press conference.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Lars von Trier

Asked about his German heritage at a Cannes press conference in 2011, Danish director Lars von Trier started making Nazi jokes and said he could understand Hitler. In the end, he was declared persona non grata at the glamorous French film Festival - and he decided to stop talking to the press altogether.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

The Coen brothers

In 2013, Joel and Ethan Coen avoided a similar fate in Cannes when asked to define "Jewish humor" by a German reporter referring to Nazism."There's nothing like a Holocaust to put the stake in a certain kind of humor. I really don't know how to answer that," said Joel. This year, a more endearing questioner bemused them by saying she wanted to make love to their film "Hail, Caesar!."

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Benedict Cumberbatch

Fans often grab the opportunity to make public love declarations during such press conferences. At the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, one fan asked: "Benedict, I actually think you're quite yummy. Would I be able to feast on your yumminess?" The British actor, there to promote his role as the gay codebreaker Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," was quite flustered by the question.

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

Woody Allen

International reporters also typically try to find out when stars will show up in their home country. For example, US director Woody Allen was asked: "Oh our darling darling Woody, when are you coming to Azerbaijan?" at a press conference in Cannes. The former stand-up comedian shot back "Isn't that Russia? I hate Russia."

Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

George Clooney

Some stars know how to flip an awkward moment with their charm. Someone rambled a question for George Clooney at a press conference on Thursday - he had apparently spilled turkey meatballs on his shoes. The actor asked back: "Are you flirting with me?"

During the jury's opening press conference, questions about diversity were posed to the all-white panel numerous times. When asked by an Egyptian reporter whether she understood films from North Africa and the Middle East, Streep conceded that she is not very familiar with those regions. But, she added, "I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures."

"The thing that I notice is that there is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture and, after all, we're all from Africa originally," Streep said during the press conference. "You know we're all," she added, pausing, "Berliners, we're all Africans, really," she said.

Some users, however, defended the Oscar-nominated actress, saying her remarks had been taken out of context and misinterpreted.

Streep also said that she had recently seen the Jordanian film "Theeb," about a Bedouin boy's dangerous mission in the desert, and also "Timbuktu," about Islamist militants taking over the fabled Malian city.

However, her comments come on the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to alter its membership rules following an outpouring of criticism arising from its all-white acting nominees for this year's Oscars.

Majority-female jury

Streep also said she was proud to head the seven-member, majority-female jury which includes German actor Lars Eidinger, British film critic Nick James, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, British actor Clive Owen, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska.

"This jury is evidence that at least women are included and in fact, dominate this jury, and that's an unusual situation in bodies of people who make decisions," Streep said during the conference. "So I think the Berlinale is ahead of the game."

"I have absolutely no idea how to run a jury, but I've been the boss of other enterprises, my family and various other things. So I'm going to learn by doing," she added. "We will be looking at different things in these films," she said, "but we're human beings, and film is an emotional experience so ... we're going to make these decisions based on what our heads want to say."

The film festival opens on Thursday with the Coen brothers' comedy "Hail, Caesar!" which stars George Clooney and Josh Brolin. Eighteen movies up for the Golden Bear prize at the festival, which runs from February 11-21.